Backun Essence Bb/A Clarinet - Grenadilla

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The Essence came from Morrie Backun's "listening tour" — he flew around talking to players who found the Q Series too resistant, the Lumière too expensive, and both too... Backun wouldn't say this, but let's call it "too Canadian." Whatever that means. Anthony McGill from the New York Philharmonic had input on the playing profile: less resistance, a more compact French core to the sound. Something that could go toe-to-toe with a Tosca in an audition without feeling like a weird flex.

You get the Backun bore philosophy and the tone hole undercutting that Morrie obsesses over, plus features borrowed from the bass clarinet line: micro-tunable key heights (hidden adjustment screws that let you raise or lower individual notes without touching regulation), and the most comfortable thumb rest you'll find on any stock clarinet. I worked with Morrie on the ergonomics, and I'm especially proud of that thumb rest. Carbon fiber and metal tenon rings give it that pingy resonance.

Comes with both a lined and unlined top joint. The lining is a synthetic bore coating similar to Selmer's EVOLUTION system — reduces moisture absorption, theoretically prevents cracking. The lined version feels more resistant and less "alive." Great if you live somewhere dry and cold. Less great if you like the feel of wood vibrating under your fingers. I don't regularly stock the lined version, but that can change if y'all demand it. I listen. Like Morrie, only better.

Personally, this is my favorite Backun soprano clarinet. I kept one for my personal stock. Don't tell Katherine.

How it plays

The scale is tight — the most accurate I've measured against the Festival, Tradition, Privilege, Muse, and Signature — less pitch-fighting across the horn. It also holds pitch when you push volume better than nearly anything I've fingerprinted, which matters more in a section than people admit. And despite being the brighter of the two Essences, it's still one of the darkest clarinets I carry, full stop.

Resistance: 5/10, Medium

Very middle-of-the-road — one of the more balanced clarinets we carry. It feels similar to the Buffet Festival, but sounds completely diffrent. Hear how it responds to volume in the audio player below — Weber first (wide dynamics, wide color), then the Berlioz (wide dynamics, narrow color), then the Gershwin (narrow on both).

Grenadilla or Cocobolo?

This is the Grenadilla version. Denser and heavier than cocobolo, it projects more — the sound reads brighter out in the room, more compact behind the instrument. Industry standard wood for a reason. If you want something warmer and sweeter — the warmest thing on my shelf, in fact — the Cocobolo version has the same bore with a different personality. My timbre data agrees: the Cocobolo runs a good deal darker. Buy the Grenadilla if you want the Essence scale with more ping; buy the Cocobolo if you want less.